Reed, Sox bullpen stumbling down the stretch

Closer says recent frustration heightened because of team's lost season

September 25, 2013|By Colleen Kane, Chicago Tribune reporter

CLEVELAND — White Sox closer Addison Reed was relaxed Wednesday afternoon as he sat in the visitors' clubhouse at Progressive Field, a marked contrast to his state fewer than 24 hours earlier, when Indians pinch hitter Jason Giambi belted Reed's slider for a walk-off home run.

In a season that Reed said has been mentally wearing mostly because the Sox have fallen far short of expectations, the Indians' 5-4 comeback victory to negate two Sox ninth-inning home runs on Tuesday encapsulated that frustration.

"We all thought we were going to come out there and give a run for the division, and things didn't work out," Reed said Wednesday. "It's frustrating, and I think that's what kind of wears on you is your expectations were so high. We just didn't live up to all of those expectations."

Entering Wednesday, Reed had recorded 39 saves, fifth in Sox history, and both Sox manager Robin Ventura and bullpen coach Bobby Thigpen have said he has shown potential to be an elite closer in his second season in the role.

But whether it's the opposition of playoff-hungry teams or mental or physical fatigue, Reed and the Sox bullpen have experienced several bumps like Tuesday's.

Reed made 10 saves in August and posted a season-low 1.56 ERA, but Tuesday was his third blown save in six opportunities in September, when he has posted a 9.00 ERA.

"Every time I went out there, I've been ready and felt strong," Reed said. "Obviously some haven't gone the way I wanted them to go, but it's baseball. It's going to happen. All you can do is kind of forget about it and get ready for that next game."

The bullpen's ERA has risen from 2.28 in August to 4.90 this month, and Tuesday's loss wasn't the only recent dramatic loss. The Sox led by six runs in the ninth inning against the Tigers on Sept. 21 before Nate Jones and Reed allowed them to tie the game, the biggest ninth-inning comeback by a Sox opponent in franchise history.

"For pitchers who pitch late in the game, that's just part of the job, and you're going to have to have thick skin and be able to bounce back, and some guys never do," Ventura said. "It's important for (Reed and Jones) to get back out there and get over that because that's really the roles they'll be in in the future.

"I hope it is (a learning experience), if there has to be a silver lining. I don't think anybody wants to go through a learning period or the experience of this. But sometimes you have to be able to do that and get up off the mat and overcome it."

Ventura said Tuesday night that fatigue could be a factor. Reed went through an August stretch in which he recorded saves in six consecutive games for the Sox. He has pitched 701/3 innings.

"I think everybody has that," Ventura said. "(The Indians are) going to probably have the same thing. ... (But) they can run on more adrenaline because of what they're playing for.

"At this point, the last week of the season, tough outs to get."

Reed said he already has a list of things he'll work on this offseason — "fastball location, improving my slider, improving my changeup," he said — and Thigpen thinks a few tweaks can add to his already solid arsenal of weapons.

"He's pretty good right now," Thigpen said. "He's just made a few mistakes this year that I'm sure he'll admit to, and it's cost him and cost us, but they all have. Everyone's made mistakes. He's got that job that is magnified because it's the last inning."